Hunting Etiquette Questions

[Jeremiah]

Let me start with a story.

I went to Thunderbird public land today to do some bow hunting. I went yesterday too and found a ground blind someone has set up but didn't see anyone in it. Today I went back to the blind and once again no one was there so I set up shop.

Another hunter came by and I thought he heard me whistle but he set up about 20 yds away from me anyways. One doe came near us, but it was spooked off when the other hunter messed with his crossbow. About 30 min later he moved on.

About 9 AM two more hunters came up and one walks right up to me and says, "you're in my f***ing stand, that's kind of rude".
I tell him that you never know if anyone is even going to use it this season and that's how it goes on public land, but all you have to say is that it's yours and I'll move on. I told him about the deer that came by earlier and he said he would have ran the other hunter off too. I said good luck and moved on.

The more I thought about it after that the more I feel like I should have told him that I was already set up; if he wanted, he could take his ground blind and find another spot but I'm staying here. It seemed like he felt entitled to have that spot because his equipment was there.

I found out later that the first hunter didn't hear me or see my flashlight, he said he would have kept moving if he had.

Here are my questions:

1. Should I have skipped using someone else's ground blind on public land?
- The way I see it, if you leave something out on public land then you are offering it up for anyone to use. I planned on leaving it where I found it and keeping the area clean.

2. If you say I shouldn't use it, then should I avoid that spot all together?
- I don't think that I should skip good hunting spots just because someone else came out and put a blind up. I understand if they are already out there, but what if it's empty.

3. When the owner showed up, should I have moved, or just stayed there? Perhaps moved just outside the blind and sat back down?



Am I completely off base? I'm new to hunting so just looking for some advice.

 

[crg1372]

1. Yes, you should have skipped using it. The blind wasn't yours. If you left your keys in your vehicle in a public parking lot would you want someone else using it?

2. How did you know the spot was a good spot? Did you scout the area or just assume it was since someone had already set up shop?

3. You definitely should move along. Setting back down outside his blind would have been very rude. Plus you never know who you may run into in the woods. Sitting down outside his blind might have gotten you shot.

Common sense is really the answer to each of your questions though.

 

[notime]

he put it up on public land it may not be good to actually use the blind but he has no right to stake out area for only him to use, it is public.

 

[MDT]

This....when you draw for duck blinds on public land, don't you have to put your info on the blind? Also, isn't the blind fair game after a certain time of the day? If you leave your blind up in place on public land, someone's gonna use it if youre not in it. The statement about you never know who you'll come across when hunting is true. Too many hunters act way too douchey. A little civility goes a long way.

 

[Survivor]

True it is public property but it belongs to someone else. Unless I had permission from the owner, I wouldn't touch it. Have to respect other peoples property and hope they would do the same.

If the stand was not occupied & if I had scouted that area and had planned on hunting there, I would set up where I wanted (again not touching his equipment)and hunt. If he showed up, he could make the decision on whether he would stay or go but I'm not moving once I set up.

 

[grwd]

f that.
Youre not suppoed to assemble permanent blinds on public lands, so he can pound sand as far as I would care.

 

[imhntn]

If it was a bought blind, I'd say it was his and I would not have used it but if it is just a blind made out of natural materials, I would use it if I wanted to. It is public land and no one gets to claim their own spot. I wouldn't hesitate hanging a deer stand near a bought blind that no one was in at the moment either.

 

[okieshooter777]

Sounds like a pretty heavily hunted area. I would go deeper into the woods!!

Are you on the hog creek area?

I think what u did was the right thing.

 

[ez bake]

f that.
Youre not suppoed to assemble permanent blinds on public lands, so he can pound sand as far as I would care.

This is the first fact - and its crap to leave a blind on public land and expect anything at all.

But, if it were me, I wouldn't have used it just to avoid issues because I would expect problems should the original hunter show up (because someone inconsiderate enough to leave a blind on public property is probably douchey enough to come and cuss at you for using it).

 

[RaysZ71]

It's public, that means it's there for everyone to use. You can't just reserve or mark a spot and call it yours, sorry. Now if you are physically there, that's a different story. It's like showing up, finding a good camping spot and you get ready to set up and some car pulls up and the occupant says, I was here earlier but we just went to get some stuff, this is my spot. That's too bad, go find another spot, it's for everyone to use. I know it's sound mean and may start a confrontation but that's how it is. This is why I hate hunting on public land, too much drama. I will help an owner with whatever just to gain access to his property rather then deal with this.